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30 Jun 01 - 05:36 AM (#495306) Subject: Drunken Ira Hayes From: murray@mpce.mq.edu.au I am not sure of the spelling of the name but there was an American Indian named Ira Hayes who distinguished himself as a hero in the Marines during WWII. When he returned to civilian life he took to drinking. There is a song about him that starts They called him Drunken Ira That is all I can remember. For all I know it might even be a Woody Guthrie song. Can anyone supply the rest of the song? Also, I forgot the details of his heroic acts and what metals he won and would be interested in being reminded. Thanks Murray Click for Ira Hayes Lyrics in DT |
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30 Jun 01 - 06:18 AM (#495316) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: Sourdough Can't help you with the lyrics but the story is a very interesting one. Ira Hayes was a Pima Indian who took part in the famous flag raising on Mt. Surabachi, Iwo Jima. He and the others who are in the famous photograph who survived the battle were lionized, traveling around the US on hugely successful bond selling tours. They were courted by politicians, movie stars, the press, etc. Hayes interest in being a celebrity was short-lived but he was needed to help raise money for the war. THe Iwo Jima heroes were very effecive selling bonds but Ira Hayes collapsed under the pressure and took up drinking in a bad way. His life went down hill and he died much too young. Recently, new information has become generally available that may help to explain what happened to him. The famous flag-raising was actually the second that day. The first was seen by he soldiers and sailors involved in the battle for the island, one of the bloodiest in the Pacific. This was a Japanese home island and the Japanese were now fighting for their homeland. The first flag raising had cheered up the fighters. It had been an emotional moment during a terrible time. THe AMericans saw in the appearance of the flag that morning that the battle was nearing an end, theyw ere occupying the high ground. There was cheering, ships whistles sounded, etc. The second flag raising was actualy somewhat of an anti-climax, the result of an officer wanting to get a larger flag on the mountain. No one paid much attention to it at the time. It was Joe Rosenthal's photo that made the difference. His powerful image made the earlier flag-raising irrelevant in the public mind. Hayes and the others (who were all combat soldiers) were being called heroes for something they knew was not heroic. If they could have received cheers for what they had really accomplished, the fighting they had endured, perhaps Ira Hayes would have fared better but I think he felt he was living under false pretenses and no one would let him tell the truth. No one wanted to hear the real story. He was forced to live a lie. Sourdough |
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30 Jun 01 - 06:19 AM (#495317) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: McGrath of Harlow It's in the DT
He was one of the GIs in that famous picture of them raising the flag in Iwojima. (I believe they reshot that picture after the flag had actually been raised, with a different set of GIs - I don't know if Ira was in the first set or the photo set.) |
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30 Jun 01 - 06:23 AM (#495318) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: Fiolar The song you want is sung by Johnny Cash and I'm sure someone will post the words. Hayes was played by Tony Curtis in the 1961 movie "The Outsider." He took part in the assault on Iwo Jima in February 1945. After a detachment of marines had captured Mount Suribachi and planted a small flag there, nex day Hayes and five others planted a larger flag there. That event was captured by photographer Joe Rosenthal whose photo became an instant classic and is now recognised world wide. It served as a model for the bronze statue in Arlington Cemetery. Later three of the six were killed in combat and Hayes and the other two were sent on a tour of the States re-enacting the flag raising event. Sadly after being discharged Hayes drifted downhill into alcoholism and in January 1955 he was found frozen to death. A sad end for a hero. |
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30 Jun 01 - 06:26 AM (#495319) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: Banjer Ira Hayes, a Pima indian, was one of the flag raisers at Iwo Jima. He was immortalized in the song, 'The Ballad of Ira Hayes'. The version I know is the one done by Johnny Cash. It tells of the treatment Ira received because of the prejudice against Native Americans. Well worth a listen. It can be found on the Record Ladys web site. Scroll down to 'Salute To Veterans - Page One'. Click Here This is a wonderful site, featuring many of the 'old style country' songs. Be sure to let Rose know if you enjoyed the site! |
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30 Jun 01 - 07:07 AM (#495326) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: Stefan Wirz Peter LaFarge's 'Ballad of Ira Hayes' has been covered - among others - by Patrick Sky More info at http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/ira.html |
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30 Jun 01 - 07:42 AM (#495334) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: Banjer "Till the white man stole their water rights and their sparkling water stopped." "When war came Ira volunteered and forgot the white man's greed." Sort of drives home the reality of how our Native Americans are treated, even in modern times. With Independence Day coming up, we should all try to remember the sacrifice made for us by our fighting men and women of all races. God Bless America! |
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01 Jul 01 - 12:33 AM (#495725) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: murray@mpce.mq.edu.au Thanks for the info. I didn't realize he was a Pima. My brother-in-law works for the NIH in Phoenix and they study diabetes in the Pimas (which seems to be very prevalant). He might be able to give me some info too. Murray |
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01 Jul 01 - 04:10 PM (#495994) Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: BALLAD OF IRA HAYES^^^ From: 53 These lyrics are in Cowpie's Song Corral, at Roughstock.com. I have't checked them against the recording for accuracy but here they are: Glenda Date: Thu, 15 May 97 9:51:09 EDT From: "Douglas K. Smith" Subject: The Ballad of Ira Hayes The Ballad of Ira Hayes By Peter LaFarge Recorded by Johnny Cash (Part of "Taps" is played on a flute, then:) A DFrom the land of the Pima Indian a proud and noble band Who farmed the Phoenix valley in Arizona land Down the ditches for a thousand years the water grew Ira's people's crops Till the white man stole the water rights and the sparklin' water stopped Now Ira's folks were hungry and their land grew crops of weeds When war came, Ira volunteered and forgot the white man's greed [CHORUS] There they battled up Iwo Jima's hill, Two hundred and fifty men But only twenty-seven lived to walk back down again And when the fight was over and when Old Glory raised Among the men who held it high was the Indian, Ira Hayes [CHORUS:] Ira returned a hero celebrated through the land He was wined and speeched and honored; everybody shook his hand But he was just a Pima Indian--no water, no crops, no chance At home nobody cared what Ira'd done and when did the Indians dance [CHORUS:] Then Ira started drinkin' hard; jail was often his home They'd let him raise the flag and lower it like you'd throw a dog a bone! He died drunk one mornin' alone in the land he fought to save Two inches of water in a lonely ditch was a grave for Ira Hayes [CHORUS:] Yeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes but his land is just as dry And his ghost is lyin' thirsty in the ditch where Ira died Turnarounds: A to D:D------0- D to E:D------- E to A:D-------- A--3-4--- A-0-1--- A------0- E-------- E-----0- E--2-4--- Intro: D-----2------------------- A-0-4---4-0-------------0- E-----------0-----0--0---- ^^^ Click for lyrics in the Digital Tradition |
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02 Jul 01 - 02:18 PM (#496747) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: Steve in Idaho If you really want to know about Marine Ira Hayes - read "Flags of Our Fathers." Written by the son of the Navy Corpman who was a member of the six. If you are a combat veteran I don't recommend it. Last book about war I will ever read. Semper Fi - Steve |
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02 Jul 01 - 04:36 PM (#496851) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: Jacob B I've only heard this song once, over thirty years ago in a coffeehouse, but it made an impression that has stayed with my all these years. According to the performer, Ira Hayes had the Congressional Medal of Honor with him when he drowned in the ditch. The pawnshop had told him that it wasn't worth anything. |
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03 Jul 01 - 06:46 AM (#497330) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: murray@mpce.mq.edu.au Thanks Glenda!. That is the song I was looking for. It is the "Come gather around me" line that made me think of Woody Guthrie, I guess. The song was sung during the 60's folk era, Jacob. I heard it more than once; but it still impresses me. Murray |
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03 Jul 01 - 07:16 AM (#497343) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: Noreen Murray and Glenda, you may not have understood, but you had already been given a link to the lyrics in the wonderful Digital Tradition (DT) database by McGrath of Harlow in his 6.19am post above, and elsewhere. Whenever you see words highlighted in blue and underlined like this it means that if you click on the words you will be taken somewhere else- in this case to the lyrics in the DT. Noreen |
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03 Jul 01 - 10:06 AM (#497462) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: Steve in Idaho Jacob B - It is the Medal of Honor, Congress has nothing to do with it, and Ira Hayes didn't have one that I know of. Still a sad end. The other piece is that there wasn't a battle for Suribachi. The Japanese pulled out and consolidated on the other end of the island after the initial landings. The original flag was carried by Marine Rene Gascon, one of the flag raisers, and was ordered lowered by the Marine commander as he knew it was a valuable piece of history. He had another squad take a larger flag up that had been removed from one of the ships off shore. The second flag raising wasn't staged, some of the after shots were, but was done to preserve the original flag and place a larger one in its place. Both raisings were done on the same day. The original raising was watched and cheered by the whole contingent on the island. Most thought it was the end of the battle. A month later the Japanese were eliminated, destroyed nearly to the man, by the invading forces. You all really need to read the book "Flags of Our Fathers." Steve |
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03 Jul 01 - 10:19 AM (#497469) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: catspaw49 Peter LaFarge was like a brief comet on the folk scene but his songs will remain with us because he was such an influence on others such as Buffy Ste. Marie. Pat Sky was a friend of his and Sky's rendition of this song is outstanding. The pain and truth of the words comes through in a slow and mournful ballad manner that really hits you. The Johnny Cash version was always too "boom-chukka" up tempo for me. Spaw |
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03 Jul 01 - 11:00 AM (#497509) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: Sourdough I was surprised to see that Norton1 was correct, although only partly. The official name of the award is The Medal of Honor. However, unlike the other awards in the so called "pyramid of honor" (e.g. Silver Star, Distinguished Service Cross), which the President gives them out in his own name, the higher award is given out by the President in the name of the Congress so "Congressional" in this contect is an adjective rather than a part of the original title si it can correctly be called "The Congressional Medal of Honor" even though the name of he award is "The Medal of Honor" This is a small point but I was curious what Norton1 meant. Now I know. Sourdough |
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03 Jul 01 - 07:36 PM (#497881) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: Deckman Sourdough ... You are one heck of a writer, just in case you didn't realize it. Your synposis (sp?) is very concise ... I appreciate good writing. Thanks for your postings. CHEERS, Bob(deckman)Nelson |
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04 Jul 01 - 07:26 AM (#498139) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: Tiger Interesting story - here are a few more snippets: 1 - By law, the Medal of Honor cannot be sold. 2 - My understanding of the second flag story is that the commanding officer wanted to keep the original version for himself. 3 - Re: Peter LaFarge. A Colorado cowboy, born in 1929, was a strong supporter of American Indian rights. His other songs include "As Long as the Grass Shall Grow" about the taking of Seneca land in Pennsylvania for the Kinzua Dam project, which was also mentioned by Buffy Sainte-Marie in "Now that the Buffalo's Gone" He died by suicide at age 36. |
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04 Jul 01 - 11:40 AM (#498318) Subject: RE: Drunken Ira From: Sourdough I used to see Peter LaFarge around Goerde's Folk City in New York around the same time Dylan and Phil Ochs were starting out there. I don't think he was that old (born in 1929?). As far as being a cowboy, that may be but I think he was also the son (or adopted son) of Oliver LaFarge, well known and respected writer whose novels often had Indian settings. My impression was that like so many of us at the time he affected a "rurality" and downplayed his formal education. Because I liked traditional music, I had a hard time appreiating the singing and songs of all three of them in 1960 "but Phil Ochs really did grown on me). Sourdough |